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Overview

Unnaturally Green: One Girl's Journey Along a Yellow Brick Road Less Traveled by Felicia Ricci

In January of 2010, a wide-eyed English grad went from peddling software in NYC to understudying the lead role in WICKED the musical -- her first professional theater gig (ever). UNNATURALLY GREEN is the humorous account of the entire journey, from her pit-stain-filled audition to the bittersweet closing night.

Author Felicia Ricci wears her heart on her sleeve as she tackles the role of Elphaba, WICKED's green-skinned heroine. She leaps countless hurdles, both professional and personal: conquering the "Songs of Death," weathering a trans-continental "Week I Didn't Poop," enduring the artistic limbo of understudying, and -- worst of all! -- meeting the man of her dreams. And all the while learning, time and again, what it means to be "green."

Hop into the mind of an over-sharer as she discovers Broadway's Man Behind the Curtain -- and the thrill and terror of personal growth.

Product Details

About the Author

Felicia Ricci received her B.A. in English from Yale University, where she won the J. Edward Meeker prize for nonfiction and the Louis Sudler Prize for the arts. She performed the role of Elphaba over 40 times, each time eating a banana precisely one hour before curtain.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Unnaturally Green: One girl's journey along a yellow brick road less Traveled 4.6 out of 5based on
0 ratings.
15 reviews.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Feicia Ricci is a genius!!!!! I loved this book because I hope to be on broadway (hopefully playing Elphaba Thropp) someday. She really tells what it is like to be a stand by. Her witty humor is VERY funny and I couldn't put this book down. Wicked fans get this swankified book. Congradtulotions, Felicia!
~Future Green Girl~

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I am a huge Wicked fan and I love to read. Unnaturally Green was not only amazing because Felicia is a genius (as shown through her performance of Elphaba and her amazing book), but also because it is written in an incredible manner that forces you to want to read every word over and over again. The idea of this book was amazing. It is perfect for lovers of memoirs, theater, Wicked, or just people who want a good read. After reading Unnaturally Green, I feel that I met these characters and truly experienced the events in the book because of the amazing writing. Unnaturally Green is a book that will stay with you forever. Felicia is an amazing author and you do not want to pass up the chance to read this incredible book!

LiztheReadaholic

More than 1 year ago

The concept for this book is so brilliant: a backstage look at what it's like to perform in Wicked told in the hilarious and brutally honest voice of Felicia Ricci, who brings you inside her head and lets you see what it's ACTUALLY like. She goes through all the different phases of getting involved with Wicked, the audition scene (SO FUNNY), callbacks, traveling far, and then becoming part of the cast, followed by tons of surprising. Her perspective is fresh and witty and you feel like you're right there with her, as she very hilariously relates everything that's happening to her. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE THERE! This was especially exciting for me since I am a huge theater fan and have often wondered what it would have been like if I'd chosen a different career. I want to read it again and again, that's how laugh out loud funny it was. It's my new favorite book!

Booktastic44

More than 1 year ago

I usually don't write reviews but I couldn't put this book down! it's all about a girl's first big professional theater job, doing what seems like the hardest role ever, the lead elphaba thropp in Wicked. not only is it informative, in terms of facts, and giving insight into how the rehearsal, audition, performance process works, but it's so so so so funny. it's like this fun window into a girl's brain, as she sees everything happening. the book starts out in new york city, and takes you through the process of moving (she has to go to san francisco), and getting incorporated into the cast. and then there's this other plotline with her boyfriend, which is very funny and touching, and her family. the other characters are really hysterical. it has tons of great scenes, and is awesome writing. I would definitely say anybody who's ever wanted to know how everything works in theater would love this. I kind of want to read it again, since so many sentences made me smile, and at times chuckle out loud. get this book! do it !

Courtney Anderson

More than 1 year ago

I have only read the first chapter but it was amazing and i know that the rest of the book will be as well !!!!!!!

TeenageCthulhu14

More than 1 year ago

OH SWEET OZ
Felicia Ricci is a magnificent author and I love this book! She really made me feel being in her shoes, and in the green! I honestly felt what she felt, and it was great. I laughed out loud a bunch of times at the way she wrote, or at what happened. I almost cried a few times, too!
If you love Wicked, or musical theatre autobiographies/biographies, you should definitely read this book!
RICCI YOU ARE GREAT!

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I loved this book! It was easy to read and I loved the humor! I fell in love with Felicia after I saw her perform Elphaba in San Fran for my weddong anniversary in August 2010. It was my first and only time to see wicked. I was so glad Felicia was in that night

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Felicia Ricci, though i have never seen her performances on youtube, or LIVE for that matter, after reading this book i am going to look her up. Her "WICKED" and witty style of writing brought me to tears, made me laugh out loud on many occasions, and made me feel like i was right there with her as her stand-by following her around on her Oz journey, watching closely to her daily routine so that i could do everything just like her- right down to eating bananas and The Week I Didn't Poop.
I enjoyed this book so much that i couldn't put it down. I read it in exactly 24 hours maybe even less. Felicia wrote her memoir witb such exquisite (and often witty) detail that i felt like i was with her the whole time-as i mentioned before. Through her frst audition i was rooting for her to get it, when she got an audition for Elphie's understudy/standby?-i forget which- i was rooting for her then and was completely on my toes like Michael Jackson in a freeze frame. I loved the tour of her Dating Museum and then the sleepovers.
Felicia reminds me of me, and, like her, we both feel a strong connection to Elphaba. I feel like i've known felicia for a lifetime just from reading 216 pages of a book. We have a lot in common especially in our love for theater and Englsh!!!! I am a writer myself, at least i want to be, and it's so cool that she wrote this memoir and made it look so easy wih a very compelling, witty voice to carry me through all the events in her life.
A wonderful, thrillifying read that i recommend to everyone. Thanks to this book i now can somewhat get through the "Song of Death". Ha ha. Thank you Felicia!!!!! You deserve more than 5 stars but that's all i am allowed to give.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

As a musical theater lover and former obsessed fan (okay, maybe not SO former), I devoured this book in only a few sittings. Because I had never heard of Felicia Ricci before this book, I had set low expectations. I was actually almost AFRAID to read it and to ruin the Wicked memory I hold very close to my heart. The Yale English major turned Elphaba standby did NOT disappoint.
Her story begins with the unexpected mid show illness of the star of the show, Eden Espinosa. As a standby, these situations are common, but for Felicia, this was her first night. With very little preparation she stepped into the role and, as she refers to it, climbed Mount Elphaba. She would go on to play the misunderstood, green girl over 40 times before the San Francisco production closed for good.
Her charming, herculean boyfriend Marshall never leaves her side as she navigates through the WICKED journey, from the intense auditions to moving to San Francisco to the death of her beloved grandmother.
If you enjoy learning the inner workings of theater, including the almost prison-like job of a standby or if you just enjoy reading fun, truly honest writing, then this book is a MUST READ!
*Final Grade: 5 out of 5 stars*

lesleyY

More than 1 year ago

This book is LOL hilarious!! But it's also very informative, whether you're a huge Wicked fan like me, or a fan of the theater in general. Written in an honest and straightforward manner, I actually felt like I was on stage with Felicia when she stepped out to play Elphaba for the first time. If you really want to know what it's like to be a part of a broadway show, then you must read this book (and forget everything you've seen on Smash). Two wishes I have now that I've read it: (1) Felicia will perform again and I'll get to see her live, and (2) Felicia will write another book!

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Felicia is a hilarious human being, and an exceptional writer. This book pulled me in right away and I finished it soon after. Her stories are so relate-able, from the inner monologues at war with themselves to her embarrassing audition stories to her adorable relationship realizations. I laughed and cried. She makes me feel like I'm not the only one in theater that wonders what I'm doing there sometimes. A great read, highly recommended. I hope she writes more books, I don't even care what they're about- this girl's got talent.

Asher831

More than 1 year ago

In this memoir of her experiences of being a part of the spellbinding musical that is "Wicked," author Felicia Ricci uses great humor and charming intellect to describe her thoughts and feelings about the events that surround her. There's not a dull moment in her writing, so it is very easy to lose track of time while reading - I myself started reading it one night at eleven o'clock, and when it seemed as though only an hour had passed, I looked up to find my clock displaying the time as three o'clock in the morning. The talent she uses in entertaining her readers makes the magic of "Wicked" even more special. If you like this musical and want to know more about what happens behind closed curtains, then you must read this book! You won't regret it!

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